GOD is continually speaking in our world. He has spoken in his Holy Word, the Bible. He has spoken to us by His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. God continues to speak through the operation of his Holy Spirit. God is continually speaking in history – in events and happenings, just as he spoke to his people Israel. The big question is whether we are listening, and if we are hearing and heeding the message. Israel was being continually spoken to by God, and they just did not listen or hear. In fact much of the time they simply shut the voice of God out. Even when the message was unmistakable, they took action to silence the voice of God by their treatment of God's messengers as we read in Amos 2:12. The fact is, and which is revealed in the verses we are studying, that God speaks also through actions in history and in the world.

In verse 1 of chapter 3 of Amos God calls Israel, through the prophet, to listen to his voice. "Hear this word the Lord has spoken against you, O people of Israel." God calls the whole nation of Israel to listen. He emphasises this by speaking of the whole family He had brought out of Israel. In speaking of the whole family out of Egypt God is emphasising Israel's obligation to listen to his voice. The reason implied is that God had specially chosen the nation and loved them, and made them his own people.

God speaks of his change of attitude toward Israel. Israel had lived with the blessed promise of God that he would be their God, and they would be his people. This wonderful relationship had been expressed in Israel's history by the caring and protecting and providing hand of God realised in their lives. Israel had got so used to God's presence for them, that they had come to take God's blessing for granted. They presumed on God's love, giving him lip service, but going their own way. Israel had come to believe that however they lived, as long as they observed certain outward rules and practices of their religion, that was enough, and that God's care would automatically be given. Now God was saying through Amos that their presumption was not acceptable. He was telling them that things had changed, and that he was against them and not for them.

The fact is that God is against sin in all its forms, and those who sin without repentance he will be against. This is an eternal verity. Paul speaks against the attitude which was prevalent in the Israel of Amos' day. He says in Romans 6:1 "What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning, so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer." The fact is that living a life of worldliness and sin is incompatible with the life of Christ's saved ones, and the chosen of God, and if like Israel we live in sin, then it is a sign that we have never truly been saved, and so we have not died with Christ to be raised with him to new life.

Like Israel, the church today imagines that because it is the church, that God is automatically for the church. This is not so! If the visible church departs from the way of God expressed in his Holy Word, the Bible, and makes its own standards of living, and practises its own religious ceremonies which are contrary to God's Word, then God is against the church and not for it.

GOD'S FAVOUR DESERVES FAITHFULNESS.

Verse 2 of this chapter 3 expresses God's complaint against Israel. Israel had sinned against great love, goodness, guidance, provision and blessing. God had chosen Israel to be his own people. He had bound himself with a promise to Abraham, the father of this people, that he would give them the land they lived in, and would make them great, and make them a blessing to all nations of the earth through the one to be born from their family line (Genesis 26:3-6). Because of this promise God had been faithful, and blessed them in a way not given to any other nation. Yet in spite of all this the nation had lived in disregard of God.

God's word and warning to them was "therefore I will punish you for your sins." This warning God had continually been giving them in action he had taken in their history, but the people had not listened, and had not heard. The message was clear but the people ignored it, and argued against it, and hid behind a false belief in the promises of blessing.

Great blessing and favour from God deserves, requires, great faithfulness from those so blessed, and if such faithfulness is lacking the punishment from God will be all the more just and severe. It was because Israel had been blessed in so remarkable a way by God, and still taken the blessing for granted and lived in disregard of God, that God says he will punish them. The people had proof of God's goodness, yet still they departed from God's ways.

The church today needs to take this to heart. In Great Britain God has been so gracious to us down the centuries. He has sent spiritual revivals and brought the church back to the truth, and to faith and devotion to Jesus, but what is the church like today. Over the last century the church in England has embraced human wisdom, and denies the Bible as being the infallible Word of God, and preaches the doctrines of men, despising the truth. Isn't the word of God to Amos relevant today. Isn't God sounding the trumpet to the church in England.

GOD IS SPEAKING -- ARE WE LISTENING.

The next verses, verses 3 to 6, speak of a truth which is totally disregarded in the church today, at least in the UK. It was disregarded in Israel in the time of Amos. The truth is that God speaks in actions and happenings in time and in history. God speaks in occurrences that shout loudly to the world.

Verses 3-6 lead up to the crunch statement "When disaster comes to a city, has not the Lord caused it." Israel thought this was nonsense. People and governments laugh at such a suggestion today. The world does not see God in anything. Yet the argument of these verses are both sound and compelling. There is a series of cause and effect. Happenings demand a reason which is obvious.

In the culture of Israel, where much of the country was desert, and the population was more sparse than today, and communication was limited. If two people were to meet in some point in the desert at a certain time, then the logical conclusion must be that there had been a previous arrangement, otherwise no two persons could meet in the desert by chance.

When a lion roars the conclusion is sure. The lion has caught his prey and is warning other predators away. If there is no roar, then the lion is still hunting. Coming to a cave where there is a lion, if the lion is growling then we may be sure he is defending his prey. The same argument applies to catching birds. No bird will be caught unless a trap has been set to catch it. If a bird is caught in implies that it has sprung a trap which had been set for that purpose.

In a city a trumpet was used to warn the city of danger. When the people heard a trumpet then they could be certain that danger was imminent and so make preparation to escape or defend themselves. In the same way when we see disasters in a city, then the conclusion is that God has allowed it and he is warning of his displeasure on account of sin.

Such argument and conclusions are laughed at today. If God is believed to exist, even within the church, people laugh at the idea that God sends disaster, or allows disaster. The suggestion that God is giving warnings to the community by disaster is claimed to be, not only false, but unworthy of God. Yet the message of Amos hear clearly teaches that God does speak by events in our world, and that God is warning people of sin and its consequences.

In recent time the world has experienced a global recession which has exposed a culture of greed, lust for money, and dishonesty, causing suffering to millions. It is true that the fault lies at the heart of business practice and lax government, but do we hear the voice of God warning of the consequences when people sin and depart from his Word of Truth, and live for their own lusts. Again the world has been disrupted by what is felt to be just a natural disaster – the volcanic eruption in Iceland. Do we hear the voice of God calling the world to repent and turn to him. Is not God acting to show his displeasure at the godless and unrighteous ways of the world. The examples can be repeated again and again, both small and great, but the world and the church laughs at the suggestion, even though the trumpets of warning in chapter 8 of Revelation speak of God sounding warning all down history where a third of the earth is devastated. Still the church and the world scorns such a suggestion and goes on their way, the church in denial of God's truth, and the world in its greed and injustice.

GOD IS SPEAKING.

All down history, as he did through Amos, and as he has done down the centuries, God has not left himself without witness to his plans. In Israel's time it was through the prophets, since then through prophets, evangelists, ministers, who have been true to the Word of God. God has not left himself without witness, and when people will not listen to his prophets God speaks in warning judgements. The Lion has roared. God has spoken. Should we not fear and turn to the Lord in our day. Should we not learn from the history of Israel, who did not fear when the Lion roared, who were soon after the time of Amos to be invaded, overcome, and be lost for ever. The same was true of Judah, who did not fear, crucified their Messiah, the Christ, and as a nation have lost their special place before God, and have struggled in pain as a people ever since.

Thanks be to God that these verses end with the comforting words "The Sovereign Lord has spoken -- who can but prophesy." God still sends forth his faithful ministers, and still goes on calling a fallen world to repentance. Why does he still do this? Surely because the Good News of forgiveness, new life, and eternal life in Christ Jesus is still available to all who will return in repentance and believe.